Ken Blackburn Movies
- 1999
Moya's crew bids a reluctant farewell to D'Argo (Anthony Simcoe), who has elected to stay behind on the Utopian planet Sykar. But there is something very strange about this so-called paradise. For one thing, the entirely population's well-being seems to hinge upon a strange root called Tannot; for another, there is literally no "tomorrow" on Sykar's calender. Things get stranger still when a series of bizarre physical and mental changes manifest themselves within three of the crew members. "Thank God It's Friday...Again" first aired on April 23, 1999. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Charlatan Frank Bannister (Michael J. Fox) has genuine psychic powers, but he doesn't use them to help people. Rather, he generates cases for his supernatural private-eye firm by harassing a group of hapless ghosts (including a dearly departed Wild West outlaw and an undead judge played by John Astin) into staging hauntings and poltergeists in the homes of likely marks. Bannister's world turns on its head when he starts noticing real hauntings around town -- ghostly assassinations that seem to be tied to the execution 20 years earlier of a brutal serial killer. Lucy Lunskey (Trini Alvarado), the wife of one unlucky victim, teams up with Bannister to get to the bottom of the killings and find out what shut-in Patricia Bradley (Dee Wallace Stone) and her witchy mother (Julia McCarthy) have to do with the sinister spree. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael J. Fox, Trini Alvarado, (more)
- 1996
Helen of Troy (Galyn Gorg) prevails upon Xena (Lucy Lawless) to intervene in the now decade-old Trojan war (the one launched by Helen's face, remember?) Upon entering Troy, Xena and Gabrielle (Renee O'Connor) are effusively welcomed by Gabrielle's former fiancée, Perdicas (Scott Garrison), now captain of the guards. Before long, our two heroines find out that there's a traitor amongst Perdicas' ranks. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lucy Lawless, Renee O'Connor, (more)
- 1995
Hercules (Kevin Sorbo) takes on a rampaging Cyclops (Richard Moll) who is seemingly in cahoots with our hero's treacherous stepmother, the goddess Hera. Along the way, Hercules picks up a traveling companion in the form of shabby traveling salesman Salmoneus (Robert Trebor). After joining forces to defeat their common enemy, Hercules and Salmoneus discover that the Cyclops is not exactly the heartless villain he seems to be -- and that there are two sides to every conflict. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kevin Sorbo, Robert Trebor, (more)
- 1993
"Rainbow Warrior" was the name of a real-life Greenpeace vessel, which embarked upon a worldwide pro-ecological mission in the early 1980s. While docked in New Zealand in 1985, the Rainbow Warior was destroyed by a bomb, and a crew member was killed. In this dramatization, Sam Neill and Jon Voight play two polar opposites-a hardbitten cop and a eco-activist, respectively--who team up to track down the bomber. Wisely, the script avoids making "save the whales"-type speeches, concentrating on the matters at hand in a no-frills fashion. Rainbow Warrior was released directly to video. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jon Voight, Sam Neill, (more)
- 1992
Based on the true story of Alexander Graham Bell, this movie shows his efforts to help the hearing impaired and where his inventions led. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide
- 1990
The made-for-cable film Which Way Home is the story of a Red Cross nurse trying to escape from war-torn Cambodia in the late '70s with a group of orphans. An Australian smuggler assists her in her valiant attempt to save the children and leave Asia. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- 1989
Based on a novel by David Morrell, the made-for-TV Brotherhood of the Rose is unabashedly old-fashioned escapist espionage fare. Peter Strauss and David Morse play polar-opposite CIA agents, code names Romulus and Remus. Their superior-and father figure-is crusty CIA official Robert Mitchum. Though Romulus and Remus are devoted to Mitchum, he is only concerned with the greater good of the service-a philosophy that has become despotic over the years. Now Mitchum has determined that Romulus is expendable. Escaping from CIA assassins, Romulus and Remus stumble into a vast rule-the-world conspiracy called The Brotherhood of the Rose. Filmed in New Zealand, this was originally a long miniseries broadcast in two parts, on January 22 and 23, 1989 - and then edited down to feature length. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1982
- NR
Jack Thompson plays Stan Graham, a tragic and notorious figure of New Zealand's war years. Not the most easygoing person in the world to begins with, Graham is pushed over the edge when his farm is foreclosed. With seemingly no other options, he turns into a homicidal maniac, killing everyone he considers an enemy -- in short, everyone who crosses his path. Graham's murder spree plays right into the hands of Nazi propagandists, notably British turncoat Lord Haw-Haw. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jack Thompson, Carol Burns, (more)
Pictures is an expansive biopic about pioneer photographers Walter and Alfred Burton. Through the eyes of the ubiquitous Burton brothers, we are treated to the history of New Zealand's colonial era. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kevin J. Wilson, Peter Vere-Jones, (more)
- 1978
Filmed in New Zealand, Skin Deep is a sharp-eyed look at how ethics evaporate when money flies in the window. A small-town booster is ever on the prowl for means of bringing progress to his sedentary community. His latest plan is to import a big-city masseuse and set up a profitable massage parlor. The city elders are aghast, but they are willing to swallow their shock when the town's economy begins accelerating. This 1978 Skin Deep should not be confused with the 1989 Blake Edwards comedy of the same name. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jim MacFarlane, Ken Blackburn, (more)
